FULL TILT POKER BLOG

#283 – Chris Ferguson Thinks About PLOEOB, Part III

Posted by Editor | Filed under Uncategorized

PART III – IDEAS FOR PRE-FLOP PLAY

I then asked Ferguson to provide some ideas for pre-flop play, especially how strategies from Limit and PLO might apply (or not).

Chris Ferguson: I think I would play very similar to Limit Eight or Better. If I am the first one in I am going to want the same hands as in Limit. I am going to play pretty cautiously. I would like to have an ace in my hand. The thing that’s a little different is that high hands go up in value because, as I explained before, it’s easier for your low hand to get tied or beat.

In this game you are going to find a lot more playable low hands than you are high hands. You are generally going to want to start out going for low but the nice high hands are still nice.

Mike: What about the situation we talked about in PLO chapter of THE STRATEGY GUIDE, about playing “sneaky” high hands like 6-7-8-9? Is that playing hand in PLOEOB?

Chris Ferguson: Here is the problem with that hand. 6-7-8-9 is a fantastic hand for pot limit Omaha high only. The reason it’s not great in Eight-or-Better is that if you do make the high hand, you’re probably making a straight. If that happens, there will very likely be three low cards on the board. If you make two-pair, there is also a good chance that will put low cards on the board. With low cards on the board, it is very likely you are splitting the pot. If you want with a hand like 9-T-J-Q, that’s not really the case. Now when you make your straight or three of a kind it is much more likely that there isn’t a low out there so you aren’t splitting the pot.

Mike: When you are the first one in the pot you are always going to come in for a raise in PLOEOB?

Chris Ferguson: Absolutely.

I don’t recommend limping. Fold if you have a bad hand. And if you have a good hand, make these mediocre hands chase you. You’re not going to have a big edge over them – hands are closer in value in Omaha games than in Hold ‘Em games – but if you think you have enough of an edge to play the hand, make them pay or get out. And if you don’t feel your hand is that good, then YOU should get out.

If four people limp in front of me and I have position, I might limp behind them. But if I have a premium hand, I’m raising.

The reason I might limp is I might not think my hand is a favorite but my position makes up for it. If I raise and get re-raised (unless the stacks are very deep), I’m giving up the advantage of my position. So, though I usually want to raise or fold, I sometimes just limp. But I prefer playing very strong hands and raising.

Popularity: 1% [?]

Be Sociable, Share!